Zinnie Harris FURTHER THAN THE FURTHEST THING

2000

Drama
First Slovenian Staging
Translated by Alenka Klabus Vesel

Directed by Tijana Zinajić

Premiere: April 2012

 

 

An isolated island, far away in the ocean. The islanders have their own language, habits, views, dignity and their very own (big) secret.   They are surrounded by magnificent, endless and intact nature. The forgotten island is only occasionally visited by a ship. One day, however, the ship finally sails into the port.  And from it disembark two young men: Francis Swain, one of the resident's nephews and a mysterious rich man and factory-owner Mr. Hansen. The newcomers are to entirely change the natives' fates. Thus, we are witnessing a great love story, significantly marked by the motives of economic conquest and emigration.  

An English critic wrote that this play is about »a display of sadness and beauty of a self-destroying civilisation. «

Each of the five characters literally glows in their convincingly plotted individualities. And all together, they equally convincingly represent the principles of the world as a whole.

The play Further than the Furthest Thing by Scottish dramatist Zinnie Harris, born in 1973, received three important awards: Peggy Ramsay Award, John Whiting Award and Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award.

 

Rebecca:

Let's play, they said,
let's play.
And, I played, like they were playing,
on a large ship, which arrived.
The three of them
and I,
we played
and laughed, and laughed
harder and harder,
until I,
until I did not …